Lesley Smith: I’m running for CU regent at-large

I’m Lesley Smith, and I’m running for University of Colorado regent at-large to make CU affordable and accessible for every hardworking Coloradan. I’ve spent my career working in higher education, with 30 years experience as an educator and scientist at CU.

I also served eight years on my school board, managing a superintendent and a $400 million budget, a similar role to regent. I have led in my field of science education and was the first woman aquanaut to live and work in the Aquarius underwater lab. My education leadership experience makes me exceptionally qualified to tackle the challenges facing CU, including rising tuition and gaps in graduation rates for Latino and black students.

In 2000, the state covered two-thirds of college costs, while students were responsible for one third. Today that ratio has flipped. If we want to maintain our highly educated workforce and do right by our in-state students, the legislature should reverse this defunding and restore funding to pre-recession levels.

Until then, the Board can take several actions to make CU more affordable. CU Boulder recently dropped class fees and implemented guaranteed tuition, in which tuition stays constant for four years. These changes should be implemented at the other three campuses.

It’s also a positive step for CU to offer alternative models of delivering an education, such as online learning, which can bring affordable higher education to far more students if implemented carefully and thoughtfully.

CU has made progress in closing the education attainment gap for Latino and black students, but there’s still work to do. Fostering partnerships with more diverse educational institutions to provide bridges to CU can help enroll more diverse students, and once on campus, increased academic, mental health and mentoring support will help students thrive.

Last, the next Board of Regents will hire a new CU president. If elected, I will be the only regent with faculty experience — a critical perspective when considering our new hire.

Higher education gave me the opportunity to pursue my dreams of teaching science and aquatic research. Let’s give every hardworking student that same opportunity to pursue their dreams.

— Lesley Smith is the Democratic candidate for University of Colorado regent at-large, an educator, scientist and aquanaut.